Since she\u2019s doing school at home, Veronica has learned\nsomething very grownup: computers can be wrong. Mostly, they have been wrong in\nways that count against her. Last year she learned the heartbreak of submitting\nan assignment and it did not <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Send.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world is a little less reliable now that she knows this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While walking the dog, I asked her:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which would you rather have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To learn something, and have the knowledge, but not get the\ncredit<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OR<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To get the credit but not have the knowledge<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The TV series Suits<\/em> starts with the main character\nmaking his living by cheating for hire on the bar exam. He knows it, but has\nbeen expelled for cheating. But he gets a job as a lawyer by further faking a\ngraduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The show is filled with tension about who and when will find\nhim out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But I wasn\u2019t worried about whether he can do the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt pretty sure he was going to get caught, but not that\nhe wouldn\u2019t have the knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is some knowledge easily acquired on the job? Can you fake It\nuntil you make it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Veronica had another view. She said, \u201cMommy, I know what you\nwould say, but there are social consequences to getting bad grades.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her concern was that should would lose social standing by\nnot having good grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes knowing something is less important than people\nthinking you know. This is probably reliably true in 6th<\/sup> grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My husband says that\u2019s all fine and good but if it\u2019s on the\nline\u2014like knowing how to fly a helicopter\u2014faking it will not serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have created standards that the interweaving systems of our\nsociety rely on. There are construction standards that require the wall to be\nable to support 5 times the weight of whatever is fastened to it. That leaves\nenough margin for error to be reliable. Our certified doctors and plumbers have\nto have a broad range of skills to be certified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It depends, I think. I find great joy in learning even if it\nis not for credit. And yet, the social standing and the recognition are\nvaluable and worth fighting for. Most of the time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since she\u2019s doing school at home, Veronica has learned something very grownup: computers can be wrong. Mostly, they have been wrong in ways that count against her. Last year she learned the heartbreak of submitting an assignment and it did … Continue reading